1st Edition
Climate Politics in Populist Times Climate Change Communication Strategies in Germany, Spain, and Austria
This book navigates the neglected territory where far-right populism intersects with climate change, presenting a nuanced examination that transcends traditional research boundaries.
In recent decades, Europe has grappled with the surge of far-right and populist movements, fueling robust academic debates. Simultaneously, the global discourse on climate change has become increasingly pervasive in societal and political spheres. This book provides a comprehensive exploration of how populist far-right parties discuss climate change within their national contexts, focusing on Germany, Spain, and Austria. Using a meticulous methodology rooted in critical discourse studies, Mirjam Gruber examines the perspectives on climate change held by mainstream parties thereby defining the national policy field. Gruber then delves into the discourse about climate change of populist far-right parties, revealing a complex web of obstructionist arguments intricately tied to the national policy context. By analyzing a diverse array of documents spanning five years, including social media posts, press releases, parliamentary debates, and policy documents, Gruber uncovers a stark contrast between the willingness of mainstream parties to address climate concerns and the obstructionist rhetoric employed by their far-right counterparts. This illuminating exploration underscores the importance of context in understanding political communication and provides profound insights into how different nations frame the climate change narrative.
Climate Politics in Populist Times will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental politics, climate change communication and populist far-right ideologies.
1. Introduction
A very short literature overview
Research questions and research design
Relevance of this research project
The European context
Structure of the book
References
2. Navigating the Discourse: Unravelling Climate Change Communication, Political Orientation, and Populist Far-Right Ideology
Conceptualisations of climate change scepticism, denial, and obstruction
Climate change communication and political orientation
Nationalism
Ecofascism
Climate change communication and populist far-right actors
Analysing the arguments
The ideational approach as an enlightening theoretical framework
The role of populist ideology
Chapter summary
References
3. Methodology: Innovatively Integrating Comparative Aspects in Critical Discourse Studies
Germany, Spain and Austria: Data and cases
Selection and justification of the time frame
Selection and justification of the cases
Selection and justification of the data
Critical Discourse Studies: DHA and BG
The policy field of climate change: DHA and BG
The discourse about climate change in populist far-right communication: DHA
Chapter summary
References
4. Decoding Climate Policy Fields in Germany, Spain and Austria: A Deep Dive into Mainstream Parties' Communication
Germany and the climate
The policy field of climate change in Germany from 2016 to 2018
The policy field of climate change in Germany from 2019 to 2020
Discussing party similarities and differences
Spain and the climate
The policy field of climate change in Spain from 2016 to 2018
The policy field of climate change in Spain from 2019-2020
Discussing party similarities and differences
Austria and the climate
The policy field of climate change in Austria from 2016 to 2018
The policy field of climate change in Austria from 2019-2020
Discussing party similarities and differences
Chapter summary
References
5. Understanding Far-Rights Climate Stand: Hostility, Environmental Self-Perception, and Climate Obstruction
The AfD against the climate
Entry-level analysis of discourse topics
In-depth analysis of discourse strategies
Vox against the climate
Entry-level analysis of discourse topics
In-depth analysis of discourse strategies
The FPÖ against the climate
Entry-level analysis of discourse topics
In-depth analysis of discourse strategies
Chapter Summary
References
6. Contextualizing and Comparing: Climate Obstruction within the National Policy Field
Starting easy: How does the presence of climate change among mainstream parties and PFRPs correlate?
Gaining traction: How do discourses about climate change by PFRP relate to their respective national political fields?
Germany and its economy
Spain and its urgency
Austria and its opposition to nuclear power
Closing Thoughts
Delving further: How do PFRPs interact with each other and what does that say about populism?
Practical implication, limitations, and future research
Chapter summary
References
7. Conclusion
References
Index
Biography
Mirjam Gruber is a Post-Doc Researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research, Bozen-Bolzano (Italy). She completed her doctoral studies in Political Science at the University of Leipzig (Germany), focusing on climate change communication. In 2022, she enhanced her academic pursuits with a five-month research visit at the University of Leicester (United Kingdom). Until 2017, she pursued her Master's degree in Political Science and Sustainable Development at the University of Bern (Switzerland) and the University of Konstanz (Germany). During her Bachelor's studies, she specialized in International Development and Cooperation at the University of Bologna (Italy) and the University of Valladolid (Spain). Her current research interests include climate change communication, populism, far-right parties, critical discourse studies and mainstreaming of the far right.
